Recently, I’ve done a few live videos with HomeTalk, so I thought I’d go ahead and compile them into one big post and make a one-stop shop for them….My sweet hubby has been the amazing videographer, and I’m so thankful he’s been able to join me for every live on HomeTalk! I feel like we make a pretty awesome team. 😉

By the way, if you’ve never heard of HomeTalk.com, you’ve got to check them out! They’re a HUGE online community that discusses all things home and garden.

My very first live video with HT was this past October of 2016. 😉 To date, I’ve done live videos for every season except summer! So you know what that means….I need to schedule a summer-styled, live-video “date” with HT soon, right?! 😉 I definitely think so!

In this video, I shared with you all about styling a gorgeous Christmas mantel. I also used a very helpful item for my DIY projects and shared all about it as I showed my viewers how to make glitter houses. 😉 You can also read my blog post for these sparkly accessories!

Oh, this video was a blast! I showed you how to make a variety of garlands on a shoestring budget! You’ll be amazed (or at least I hope you will be!) at how inexpensive they are to make, and yet these beautiful pieces look like they came straight from a high-end home decor store! Plus, when prepping for this video, I wanted to include both neutral AND colorful styles. You can read all about these garlands by clicking here.

Below is the “before” picture…I found these pots at various thrift stores and the dollar store, and then some were found brand new at Home Depot. Of course, I grabbed a few of these pots from my back porch as well. You definitely can use the ones you already have! I also wrote a detailed blog post on this topic as well….You can read it here — “Easy Whitewashed, Stenciled and Faux-Concrete DIY Pots.”

In this video, I shared so, so, SO many DIY projects for creating a Spring tablescape and mantel. I’m all about pinching pennies and making the decor myself, as long as it looks beautiful! I shared with my viewers how to make these beautiful chargers, the vibrant-green moss runner, the ruffled runner, and lots of other beautiful decor. You can also read all about our Spring home by clicking on these 2 links: our DIY, Natural Spring Tablescape and our Natural and Rustic DIY Spring Mantel.

In this video, I shared with you all sorts of DIY Easter eggs, such as eggs with stickers, faux-concrete eggs, watercolor eggs, baby’s breath eggs, etc. I also did a blog post for this video, and you can read all about that by clicking on this title — DIY Easter Eggs.

Well, that’s it at the moment. Were you able to watch any of these lives? If so, which one is your favorite? I’d love to hear all about it! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Also, I want to thank you all for your kindness and sweet encouragement as I share with y’all about our home. I love getting to do this whole blog thing….It’s been a huge blessing, and y’all are definitely a big part of that! So I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Update: Since publishing this post a couple of months ago, I’ve done two more lives with my hubby, and here are the links if you’d like to watch them!

Giveaway is now closed. A huge and hearty thanks to all who entered! Click this link to find out the winner! Please know that I appreciate each and everyone of you…for your kind words and loving support. It’s blessed my heart in more ways than you’ll ever know!! xoxo

******************************************

Hello friends, and thanks for stopping by today! Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook, so that you don’t miss another post! 😉

******************************************

I have some very exciting news! Currently, our home is in one of my all-time favorite magazines…American Farmhouse Style!! I’m thrilled to share with you that AFS chose to put our home on the FRONT COVER, and they gave us a 12-page spread! So crazy, and it’s on newsstands now!

I’m seriously honored and humbled that one of my favorite magazines shared our home! So, to the editors of AFS, if you’re reading this post, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! xoxo

So, to celebrate this exciting news, I’m giving away this magazine, plus some of my other favorite goodies, to one lucky winner! Entering is easy, and all you have to do is head to my Facebook page for all the details! (Please click this link to enter.)

Here are the fun prizes you’ll win: some beautiful framed art, a set of flour-sack napkins, a rustic chalkboard, and a signed copy of the latest American Farmhouse Style magazine!

Thanks to all of you for your sweet encouragement and support as I continue on this adventurous blogging journey! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at TheRusticBoxwood@gmail.com, or comment below, and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can! Have an awesome day!

Hey sweet friends! Recently, I shared our summer home tour on another friend’s blog…Shelstring…for her fabulous Summer Home Tour Series. Michelle is such a sweetheart, and she has a whole collection of various bloggers’ homes! You don’t want to miss this series! You can read all about our home here. 🙂 In our summer home tour, you’ll see all sorts of farmhouse decor…complete with white rockers, lots of flowers, and wonderful, vintage finds!

Here’s a sneak peek of our home…

So, I hope you’re wanting to hop on over to Shelstring now, if you haven’t already! Stop back by and say hey, and let me know what you thought about our summer home tour.

And when you’re finished checking out our home, please stop by and say “hey” on my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest….Or comment below. I always love to hear from y’all! Have a wonderful day!

Hey friends! I know this post is long overdue, but I wanted to share the before and after remodel pics of our kitchen and dining room area. Yes, it’s been a few years since the renovation, but I figured it’s better late than never, right?! Besides, since I’ve been on a “before/after remodel” kick as of late, I’m thinking I might as well show you other parts of our home that have never been revealed on the blog!

When we moved into this lovely home of ours almost 14 years ago, the kitchen was completely builder-grade quality…with your basic cabinets, white laminate countertops, and lots of walls surrounding the kitchen and eating areas. This small, cramped area was not suited to my cup of tea. 😉

(This next photo was taken just before the walls were knocked out. And yes, I chose this putrid yellow color that was actually called “Winnie the Pooh.” Don’t say it…I know…but back then, I thought it looked like sunshine. And who doesn’t like sunshine??) 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, I was very thankful for at least having a kitchen and dining room — really in truly! But I’m not a fan of tight spaces, and these rooms definitely fit the bill for being squishy…that is, before we tore down the walls!

And now, after the remodel, it’s become a spacious haven…a place where we all love to hang out!

Our kitchen now has beadboard cabinet door fronts, a built-in fridge that we bought off eBay (brand new for half the price), and a huge, open space. A little window seat has been added, as well as an easy diy chalkboard that was painted onto the wall.

This vintage shelf is a thrifty find that once was lifeless, but now after a fresh coat of white paint and some fun knobs, it’s a functional and pretty little storage spot in the kitchen! You can read all about that diy project here. 😉

Did you notice how the walls were removed (the ones in between the dining room and the kitchen?!) It’s amazing how much natural light that comes into this space! I just love it!

The striped drapes are actually a set of khaki panels that I bought at Ikea and then painted white stripes directly onto the fabric. Because the drapes weren’t as thick as I wanted them to be, I added white, twin-size sheets to the backs. And I absolutely love them!

That kitchen table set you see below is a thrifted set that we bought a couple of years ago and refinished. I really wanted some cane chairs and table that had an extension, and so one wonderful day, I finally found what I was looking for! You can read all about that diy project here. 😉

The accessories on the hutch are mostly vintage or antique items from thrift stores and yard sales. And the paper on the back of the hutch is some fun wrapping paper that I simply taped to the wall! If you know me at all, I have to have decor that’s as non-committal as possible, because I like to change it out so much! 😉

That plate rack in the pic above is a diy project that anyone can do! It was actually a brand new chicken feeder that I turned into an “aged” plate rack. Click here for the tutorial.

If you keep walking through the dining room, you’ll head straight to our back patio. It’s another favorite hangout spot of ours. That post will be for another day…but soon. 😉

Thanks so much again for stopping by! What are your thoughts on this kitchen/dining room remodel? And have you removed a wall to make a space in your home appear larger? Comment below, or find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Stop by and say hello….I’d love to hear from you!

Hey friends! The weather’s feeling more and more like Spring here in Georgia, plus Easter is just around the corner. So, it’s high time we all begin to decorate for this beautiful season!

The first place I am choosing to focus on this season is our dining table. However, I didn’t really know how I was going to decorate our table. I needed inspiration. Of course, Pinterest is always one of the first places I visit, but sometimes just walking physically through a store — the smells, the colors, the textures — really helps to get my creative juices flowing. So, when I found this beautiful watercolor table runner from HomeGoods the other day, I chose to make it my focal point for our tablescape! The soft pastels with the pretty painted flowers screamed Spring in a soft way to me.

After choosing the focal point, I found some pretty, yellow plates that were in the same color palette as my runner. Next, I found some shabby chic, clear glasses with little bunnies on them. These glasses pulled out the same greens as the runner.

Also, I love how faux flowers are beginning to look more and more like REAL flowers. Wouldn’t you agree?? At one of the local crafts stores nearby, there were two separate types of peonies…the $5 kind and the $15 kind. I chose the latter. It just looked more real, the colors were more vibrant, and it felt like an actual flower! And with the 40% off sale, and then my additional 20% off coupon, I was able to get each stem at about $7 each. Not bad considering that one real stem would cost me $10 at my local flower shop! Plus, with my new fake flowers, I can re-use them over and over again, and I don’t even have to worry about remembering to water them. I’d say it’s a win-win!

So, let’s get started with how these items came together for our Spring tablescape. First off, I cleaned our table to give this space a blank slate.

Next, I added the first layer, which was a white tablecloth. (Now, I realize these first couple of steps are pretty self-explanatory, but I just wanted to show you from the beginning how this setting came together. Please bear with me!) 😉

And then it was the lovely table runner from HomeGoods…

After ensuring that the runner was evenly placed on the table, next came the green-grass chargers. I love how they bring out the greenery on the runner.

Now that I had my staples and the color palette I wanted to use for my table, it was time to put things together!

Tablescape #1

I started out with the yellow plates.

And as I mentioned before, the soft, green bunny glassware looked perfect with the watercolor runner, the yellow plates and the chargers!

First, I took my 4-pack flour sack dish towels and folded each one up to make 4 napkins. (Everyone needs to have at least one pack of these towels in their home!! You can do so much with them…but that’s a whole different blog post for another day.) 😉 I just folded them so that the plate would stick out on either side. Next, I chose to use gold flatware to pull out the yellow tones in the runner.

To add to the centerpiece, I inserted faux hydrangeas into thrifted, milk glass vases.

Tablescape #2

To switch it up a little, I replaced the hydrangeas with these beautiful faux peonies. Then, I replaced the flour-sack napkins with my collection of dainty, floral plates that pull out the pinks, yellows and greens from the runner.

Oh, and I felt there needed to be more pops of pink on the table, so I searched and searched for the perfect statement, and I finally found scraps of pink and white ticking fabric (that I bought at a yard sale). The funny thing is they were already cut into leaf-like patterns. How perfect was it that I could make them look like extensions of the peonies! I really love it!

Tablescape #3

Lastly, my third choice was to replace the yellow plates and dainty china with simple, white plates that I purchased for 99 cents each at a thrift store.

I also added some fun, pink stripey straws and more hydrangeas and peonies in thrifted, milk glass vases. 🙂

So, here are my ideas for Spring tablescapes…done 3 ways. I hope you’ve been inspired to create a colorful and thrifty Spring tablescape for your own home! I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Hey friends! I’d like to share with you these gorgeous new pillows I received from Erin at Bows and Burlap Designs. (Update: Erin has recently changed her shop name to Porter Lane Home.) I love, love, LOVE her products!

The two pillows I ordered were the French “Grains” pillow and the “Vintage + Farmhouse” pillow. Her natural canvas pillows are so easy to decorate with…I can basically move my new pillows from room to room, chair to chair! 😉

Here’s how my package arrived…Such cute design!

Aren’t the details just perfect??! 🙂 This is definitely what I call “happy mail.”

So, with these two pillows, I played with different areas in my home, and I wanted to show you how versatile these fun pillows can be. They are truly statement pieces!

And then I tried it in a different spot. It’s located on our window seat, in our kitchen. I love it here, too!

What do you think about these pretty pillows? Which one is your favorite, and which placement do you like best? I’d love to hear about it! And if you’d like to see another post on these pretty pillows, check out our summer home tour (click here)!

Hey y’all! Thanks for joining me today! Before I forget, I wanted to remind y’all to follow along on my social media as I share inspiring photos and tips for the home. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest! I’d love for you to stop by and say hey! 😉

*************************************************

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the thrill of the hunt when it comes to finding pretty accessories for our home. I don’t care what it is — an antique frame, paint-by-number artwork, vintage crates, furniture, old books, pretty dishes — you name it, I’ll find it. Lol!

Well, this thrift-store “hobby” of mine started a few years ago, when the world of Pinterest began. When my sweet friend, Paige, introduced me to this fun website that lets you save any and all inspiring photos, I was hooked on all things decorating and diy. All of a sudden, I desired to make lots of changes to our home, and that was gonna require either A. lots of money or B. doing things myself. I chose the latter route…partly by choice, but mostly because of necessity. And you know that old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That, my friends, became very true for me when all of a sudden I wanted to renovate every area of our home! I had to be frugal, and that meant shopping at second-hand stores and looking past the delapidated state of an item to see its potential.

With that said, if I can find awesome deals and treasures at thrift stores, so can you!! Join me as I share with you 12 tips to scoring some budget-friendly home decor! But I’m warning you now….You’re gonna be hooked, and once you’re hooked, there’s no turning back! 😉

1. Look for discounts in the store. For example, Goodwill has the “color of the week” for half-off prices, and every Sunday, a new color represents the discount. There’s usually a big sign just as you enter, announcing which color is 50% off. Also, our local Goodwill offers an extra 25% off for all seniors on Tuesdays and for all service members on Thursdays (i.e. veterans, firemen, policemen and those in the military — thanks to all of you for your service!). Goodwill’s discounts vary by location, so check with your local store for discount dates and percentages. Another fun tip is that other thrift shops will discount an item based off the date of the item’s tag. For example, if you pick up an item that was tagged in October, and now it’s already January, it might be 30% off…or even more! Don’t be afraid to ask if there are any special discounts for that particular store.

(The sign in our local Goodwill, announcing what the color of the week is.)

2. When shopping at “mom and pop” shops…When it comes to shopping at non-chain thrift stores, most of them can negotiate with you. Mention that if you choose to purchase both items as opposed to just one item (for example), would they be willing to drop the price. Nine times out of ten, they’ll be completely open to taking less! Like my daddy always says, “The worst they can say is ‘no’.” 😉 And do your very best to let the seller name their desired price FIRST. What if they were going to take less than the price you named?? That would be a tragedy!

(The above pic is from a local thrift shop owned by a church in town. Similar to Goodwill, they also have a sign at the front door, informing shoppers of the store’s discounts. The phone pic below is something that I bought from them recently. I included the tag to show how the owners discount according to the tag’s date. )

3. Shop often. Thrift stores are constantly getting new inventory, so try to pop in often — on your way to pick up your kiddos from school, during your lunch break…or even in the evening, right after your children are in bed. You don’t need to take an hour in the store. Just walk quickly through each aisle. I usually try to allow about 10-20 minutes at a particular thrift shop a couple of times a week before heading to pick up my kiddos.

Isn’t this gumball machine the cutest thing ever?! Yep, I found it at a thrift store!

4. Shop early. For the best finds, be sure to arrive as soon as the doors open on any given day, but especially on Monday (in my opinion). Why Monday, you might ask? Well, for one, most families do all their “spring cleaning” on the weekends and end up making their donations on Sunday afternoon. So, there’s usually a fresh supply of items on Monday mornings. And of course, yard sales always happen on the weekends, which means more donations flow in on Mondays as a result. Also, some shops change over their discounts either on Sunday (such as our local Goodwill) or Monday. Shopping early will ensure you get first dibs.

5. Be patient. Don’t lose hope or get discouraged! That “steal of a deal” item that you’re searching for is out there specifically for you! I promise! But, in order to find that treasure that you’ve been really wanting, you have to be patient. There are many times that I’ve walked out of a store empty-handed. And that’s okay. Don’t give up! 😉

6. Visit thrift stores in high-end districts. I’m a little hesitant to share this tip, simply because I’ve found some seriously-great treasures at thrift stores that are located in the middle of nowhere. But I’ve also consistently found expensive items (e.g. a Limoges oval vegetable dish similar to this one for only $12!!) from stores located in nice areas.

I found this colorful cuckoo clock for pennies at one of my fave high-end thrift stores. You can read about that story here.

7. If you see an item that you really like, but aren’t sure where you’ll put it, go ahead and put it in your buggy….Don’t hesitate. That way, you can think about it while you look for other treasures in the store. You can always put it back if you change your mind. Trust me, this tip is a definite must. I’ve learned the hard way…. 🙁

Here are some clipboards that I bought at a thrift shop. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to do with them, but I purchased them anyway. I’m so glad I did!

8. Don’t buy the item simply because it’s a good deal. Make sure you love it! There are so many good deals out there, and your time will come!

Here’s a sample of how I updated two lamps using a can of white spray paint and some Rub’N Buff.

I love, love, LOVE my collection of vintage hankies! I’ve picked up a variety of them from various thrift stores (and antiques stores) over the years. This “Spring banner” was so easy to make….Just simply tie the ends of each hanky together to make one long garland. 🙂

11. If it’s delapidated, look past its current state and see its potential! You can easily touch up or transform an item with chalk paint, a can of paint, or spray paint! Love the curves of a lamp, but hate the fabric on the shade?? No worries! Hot-glue some pretty fabric to the shade, maybe add some trim, and then spray-paint the lamp, and voila! You’ve got a beautiful new-to-you lamp! What about a cool, detailed frame, but the color and matting is just a terrible avocado color. Have no fear! Use a can of spray paint, and spray both the frame AND matting! Did you know you could spray the matte?? Well, yes you can! I love modern paint. 😉 Another idea for an ugly frame — Spray-paint the frame, and then apply some chalkboard paint to the glass to make a fun chalkboard! Yes! DIY is so exciting to me…especially when you can bring something back to life!

12. Be willing to dig! Wear gloves if you have to. 😉 But rummage through cluttered shelves and racks of junk at thrift stores….You never know what you’ll find! One time, when digging through the cluttered flatware drawers at a certain thrift store, I found a beautiful, MONOGRAMMED sterling silver serving spoon for $1.21. Not only that, the monogram was the first letter of our last name. Score! 🙂 You can imagine the excitement I felt in that moment!

Hey friends! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I’m so excited to show you these cane chairs that were transformed from outdated and lifeless to fresh and bright!

But first, if you missed my post on our chalk-painted vanity that we found on craigslist, you HAVE to and check it out (i.e. right after you finish this post!)!

Anyone can renovate a chair. You may not think so, but I promise — you can do it! A few years ago, I used to be interested solely in fashion and working out, but since the dawn of Pinterest and the incredible blogland that we have available to us, these little blessings have awakened my inner-diy self! 😉 Okay, now that hopefully you’ve realized you can totally do this project yourself, we’ll get started.

A few weeks ago, I picked up all four cane chairs at a yard sale on a beautiful Saturday morning for a total of $20! I couldn’t believe it! I guess it’s because they were brown, yucky and quite a mess, but looking past their present state, I could see their wonderful potential! And most importantly, their “bones” were in excellent shape!

After removing the chair cushions and placing the seatless chairs on top of the drop cloth, I began my project. First, using my rag, I wiped off all the dust. Next, using the chalkboard paint and foam brush, I painted all the edges of my chairs. You may be wondering why on earth I painted chalkboard paint onto my chairs, yes? Well, first, it’s because I wanted the black paint to show through the white paint after sanding the edges. Second, it’s because that was the only black paint I had on hand. 🙂 But if you’re not planning to give your chairs that “chippy” effect, you can skip this process all together.

Okay, so I might have gone a little overboard on the black paint. Ha! But really, all you need to paint are the edges that you’ll sand later.

Once your black paint is dry, open up your white paint and stir well. Pour the paint into your painter’s tray and, using your Purdy brush and/or roller, paint your chairs. I love, love, love how this paint rolled on easily and quickly!

Because the grooves of the cane were very difficult to paint with a roller or brush, I grabbed a can of true white spray paint and quickly sprayed the cane without a single hitch! I wish I thought about doing that before I spent 30 minutes trying every other option! But at least SOMETHING worked!

(In regards to painting cane, make sure you don’t paint a thick layer onto the cane. Add a few thin layers instead of one thick layer, or it’ll look like a sloppy mess.)

And here’s the finished product!

Now, if you’d like to take it a step further like I did, then grab your handy sanding paper and start sanding all the edges….You know, the natural areas that wear over time. I started out with a fine grit sanding paper and then gradually increased the grit for the desired effect. But this is where my handsome hubs would disagree with me. Ha! He says to start out with a more coarse grit and then decrease to a finer grit. But since I was doing the project, I was gonna do it MY way. Haha! Gotta love your better half!

Here’s the finished result of my chippy chairs….I love them!!

And what do you think about our new, 10-foot farmhouse table with the matching bench??!! Isn’t she a beauty?! We love the X-shaped legs, the just-right gray paint, and barnwood tabletop! And with our four cane chairs, it’s a set made in heaven! 🙂

On a sidenote, Sherwin Williams sent me the HGTV paint and the Purdy products for my testing and evaluation. All opinions are my own. And I can tell you that, wholeheartedly, I loved their products. There are some brushes/rollers out there whose bristles and nap come out so easily, and it gets super frustrating. You end up having to stop your painting and pull out each individual bristle. But I knew I could count on Purdy to help me with this project! Also, the HGTV paint went on so smoothly and efficiently. I loved having the built-in primer!

Also, I don’t claim to be a professional at giving my furniture that “chippy” look. But what I can tell you is that I put a lot of love into these pieces, and it’s a matter of trial and error. Growing up, my sweet parents always said to me, “The person who never makes mistakes is the person who never tries.” So, don’t get discouraged if you make a few mistakes with your painting projects — just learn from it and move on….That’s why shopping at yard sales and thrift stores is so great! The prices are usually crazy good, so if you have a diy fail, it’s no biggie! 🙂

Are you inspired to find a lifeless chair and give it a makeover? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Comment below or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Hey friends! Thanks for stopping by! Today, I wanted to share with you about my thrifted dining room table and chairs renovation!

I refinished this set from Goodwill a few years back, but it’s still beautiful and in great shape! I absolutely LOVE the cane chairs and the curves of the table legs. And — knock on wood — the cane chairs have held up after all these years! 🙂 Lol!

What I used….

sanding paper and sanding block

large paint roller

can of white paint

can of clear polyurethane (the first time around…read below)

The pic below shows how it started out…an old, dilapidated mess! You can’t see in the pic, but all of the chairs had some 80’s fabric that was covered with a clear plastic tarp thingie (?). It wasn’t pretty! And you can see the watermarks on the table as well!

First, my sweet honey carried the table and chairs onto our back patio to protect against the fumes AND to keep from having to sweep up the big mess I was about to make. 🙂

Next, I sanded down the table to give it a rough edge, so the paint would stick. Third, after wiping off the grime from the sand job, I began to paint. It only needed a couple of good coats.

Now, came the exciting part! It was time to adhere the poly! (I used polyurethane only on the tabletop, in order to protect the surface.) So as I painted the poly on, I noticed that a yellowish tint started to appear. And being the newbies that we were to refinishing furniture, my hubby and I both thought that maybe it would dry clear….Afterall, the outside of the can DID say that it was a clear poly. Below is a pic of how it dried. An ugly yellow. Just terrible.

I was so disappointed that it didn’t dry clear like it was supposed to! So, I started over. Thankfully, there’s this wonderful product for people like me who have to start again or who want to strip paint off of something! It’s called Citristip, and it worked like a dream! It’s wonderful! I just followed the directions on the bottle, and the layers of paint and the yellow poly came right off. It was amazing! Below is a pic of what it looks like, once applied.

One good thing that came from this project is the fact that I realized (after sanding the poly off) that I liked the tabletop a natural finish instead of what I originally planned, which was a white tabletop!

So, after learning my lesson the first time, I repainted and then applied what’s called Waterlox. And I’m here to tell you that this product actually DID dry clear (or at least as clear as one can get with a “natural” finish)! I just painted the Waterlox on the top of the table and on the arms of the chairs….wherever I thought there’d be a lot of wear and tear.

So there you have it, folks. My refinished kitchen table and chairs. We eat on this table; we do homework and projects on this table; we use the sewing machine on this table….What can I say?! We use this table for everything, and it’s held up beautifully! I haven’t reapplied Waterlox yet, but I probably should soon since I clean it all the time with soapy water and a sponge.

Please let me know what you think! Have you ever had a mishap with poly? I’d love to hear your story! Comment below, or stop by Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest and say hello!

Hello friends, and thanks for stopping by! Welcome to part 2 of my fall home tour, the dining room edition! If you missed part 1 of the Fall home tour, you can catch that here.

I love those striped curtains! They’re actually 98″ khaki Ikea drapes that came as a pair for $24! I painted the stripes with leftover white paint, mixed with some medium. Because the paint bled through to the back, I picked up two white twin flat sheets at Goodwill and used my ever-trusty go-to sewing hack…stitch-witchery…to attach them as a curtain lining. They add so much fullness!

The 3 ironstone plates mounted on the wall were found at one of my fave thrift stores for 25 cents each!

Next, we come to our $120 Goodwill-purchased dining room set!! The table and chairs were hideous before a little tlc was applied. That’s a whole blog post on its own, so I promise I’ll follow through with that soon! (Here’s that follow-up I promised!)

Located on the table are more thrift store and antique store purchases. In fact, there are only a few items on our table that were bought new….the little birdies and faux-wood pillar candles (from Pottery Barn Outlet for pennies on the dollar) and the little yellow container from Target (on clearance)! Everything else…the brass candlesticks, the candles, the lace doily, the burlap runner, pinecones and antlers were all from second-hand stores or my backyard.

On my china hutch are some of my favorite little collections….milk glass from yard sales and thrift stores, framed silhouettes, vintage silver, old pitchers, and my anthropologie latte bowls on an antique scale.

To give the back of my china hutch a little color, I used glue dots to mount some cute wrapping paper with vintage stamping on it (from Homegoods) to the wall of the hutch. So fun and super-easy!

These gold-rimmed plates were 25 cents each at one of my favorite thrift stores! And the beautiful old wooden box is from my sweet mother-in-law. I love it!

The vintage silver is from my gracious momma. I love putting old flatware on display.

To the right of the china hutch is a little nook that holds various items at any given time….from a drink bar or dessert bar when guests are over to simply putting my lovely treasures on display.

I purchased this silver-plated tea set for $10 at a local antiques store and then spray-painted it for some pizzazz. 😉

Well, that’s it. I hope you enjoyed my fall home tour, part 2!

Have any questions or comments? Please comment in the comments section below. I love to hear from my readers! Also, I’d love for you to stop by and say hello on Pinterest,Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Have a wonderful day!